Vending machine



Oct. 17, 1939. T. J. ELDER VENDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March9, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 17, 1.939. 'r. J. ELDER VENDING MACHINEFiled March 9, 1937 Oct. 17, 1 939. T. J. ELDER VENDING MACHINE FiledMarch 9, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 'r. J. ELDER 2,176,394

VENDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 9, 1937 Oct. 17, 1939.

Patented Oct. 17, 1939 2,176,394

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENDING MACHINE Thomas J. Elder, Decatur,Tex. Application March 9, 1937, Serial No. 129,896

3 Claims. (Cl. 31236) This invention relates to vending machines, wall 9of the cabinet, is provided with discharge and particularly to vendingmachines designed openings l0, disposed near the lower front edge forvending bottled goods. thereof. Coin drawers H operate through suit- Animportant object of the invention is to able openings formed in thefront wall 9 of the provide means for delivering a bottle or similarcabinet, the front wall being formed with sight 5 package, to thechamber containing the goods to openings l2 disposed directly above thecoin be dispensed, simultaneously with each dispensdrawers ll, so thatthe discharge ends of the ing operation, thereby maintaining thecontainer coin chutes, to be hereinafter more fully dechamber full atall times. scribed, y be viewed without the necessity of 10 Anotherobject of the invention is to provide removing the front wall of thecabinet. 10 means for closing the discharge chute of the Horizontallydisposed rods [3 are arranged cabinet, with each operation of theoperating in each unit of the cabinet, and are spaced prelever todispense a package, thereby preventing determined distances apart. Theserods provide the operation of the machine through fraud, by a supportfor the rollers M on which the rotary l5 inserting an instrument intothe discharge magazine H: of the unit, rotates. opening. The magazine ofeach unit, is hollow, provid- A still further object of the invention isto ing a compartment for an ice chamber indicated provide a vendingmachine of this character inby the reference character It), the icechamber cluding means for maintaining the bottled goods being supportedbetween brackets 11. The ice cold, eliminating the necessity ofsubmerging chambers of the units, may be filled through 20 the bottledgoods in cold water. the door H3, at one end of the cabinet. While IWith the foregoing and other objects in view, have shown and describedice chambers for which will appear as the description proceeds,supplying the cooling medium for the cabinet, the invention resides inthe combination and arit is to be understood that a suitable cooling 2:;rangement of parts and in the details of conmedium m y be p vi ed, suchas el tric refris- 26 struction hereinafter described and claimed, iteration now in common use. being understood that changes in the preciseSecured to the outer surface of each magazine, embodiment of theinvention herein described, are partitions l9 defining opemsided C D maybe made within the scope of what is claimed, ments 20 in which thebottles or packages being 30 without departing from the spirit of theindispensed, are held. Openings 2| are formed 30 vention, in themagazine, and permit cold from the ice Referring to the drawings:contained in the ice chamber, to contact with the Figure 1 is aperspective view of a cabinet bottles or packages.

constructed in accordance with the invention. The reference character 22designates a curved Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View through platethat forms a guard for the magazine, the 35 the cabinet, disclosing theposition of the rotary plate being curved conforming to the shape ofcontainer prior to dispensing a package. the magazine, as clearly shownby Figure 3 of Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through thedrawings. One end of the plate 22 extends the cabinet, illustrating theposition of the downwardly and forwardly, the extremity thererotarycontainer when dispensing a package. of extending through the dischargeopening of 40 Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the unit,providing a rest for the bottle or packline 4-4 of Figure 2. age, whenit has passed from the unit. Because Figure 5 is a sectional view takenon line 5-5 of the construction of the curved plate 22, it will ofFigure 3. be seen that bottles or packages contained in the Figure 6 i iw illustrating the coin eonmagazine, will gravitate to a position beyondthe 45 trolled operating slide plates of the machine, front wall Of thecabinet, with each operation of Referring to the drawings in detail,the'vendthe ac eing machine embodies a cabinet indicated gen- The upperedge of the curved plate 22, extends erally by the reference character5, the cabinet upwardly and contacts with the upper wall of beingconstructed of a plurality of like units, the unit, as clearly shown byFigure 3, the up- 50 operated and controlled independently of eachwardly extended end of the plate 22 being indiother. cated by thereference character 23. This up- The cabinet includes an outer wall 6and an wardly extended portion 23 of the curved plate inner wall 1,spaced apart and insulated by 22, forms a continuation of the chute 24,which means of the insulating material 8. The front is of a length tocontain several bottles or 55 packages being dispensed by the machine.The chute 24 is filled through the hinged door 25, which normally closesthe upper end of the chute 24. Itmight be further stated, that thecompartments 20, are so arranged that with and is formed with an openingto allow the bottles or packages to pass from the chute as the openingmoves into registry with the chute, the sliding plate providing asupport for the bottles or packages above the bottle or package whichhas entered a compartment, when th' plate is in its normal position. r Va This plate 26 is slidably mounted on the flanged members 21 that'aresecured to the inner surfaces of the side members of the inner wall I,as clearly shown by Figure 3 of the drawings.

Extending from one end of the sliding plate .26, is a channel member 28through which the pin 29 extends. The channel member 38 extends inwardlyfrom one end of the sliding plate 26, and carries a wide pivoted member3! at its inner end. The wide pivoted member being designed to engagethe partitions IQ of the compartment 28, as the sliding plate isactuated or moved inwardly, rotating the magazinato deliver a bottle orpackage to be discharged, through the discharge opening of the unit. Thechannel members 28 and 33 are constructed to provide a transverselydisposed coin slot 32 adapted to register with the coin slot 33 of theunit cover plate 34, that also has a slot 35 through which the bottlesor packages pass from the chute 24.

. Bolts 55 extend through openings formed in the cover plate 34 andconnect with the supporting plate 36, the plate being held in spacedrelation with the plate 34, by means of the spacers 37, positioned onthe bolts 55.

The reference character 38 designates the operating bar that operatesbetween the spacers 31, and is provided with hook 39 at the inner endthereof, which hook is adapted to engage under V the pin 29. Thisoperating bar 38 is of a length so that the inner end thereof isnormally held at a point adjacent to the coin slot 32, to engage a coindeposited in the coin slot 32, as shown at A in Figure 2 of thedrawings, with the result that the operating bar 38 may now be pushedinwardly causing the sliding plate to move inwardly and operate therotary magazine [5 to discharge a bottle or package. It will of coursebe obvious that when no coin is in the coin slot 32, operation of thebar 38 will result in the bar 38 moving through the channel members 28and 38, without operating the sliding plate 26. An elongated opening 46is formed in the supporting plate 36, and is of a width toreceive a coinof a predetermined denomination, holding the coin against movement intothe coin chute. One end of the elongated opening is substantially wide,as shown at 4!, to allow the coin to fall through the opening, when thecoin reaches the inner end of the opening. Disposed directly under theWide portion 4| of the opening 48, is a coin chute 42, which is inclinedforwardly to cause a coin deposited therein, to gravitate to the coindrawer II, associated therewith.

Pivotally supported under the coin chute 42, is

a chute 43 having upstanding fingers 44 providing a stop against whichthe coin engages, retarding the passage of the coin into the coindrawer. It will of course be understood that the weight of the coin willtilt the chute 43 downwardly, depositing the coin.

The spring member 44, which is secured to the plate 36, provides asupport for the coin which has been positioned in the coin slot.

Pivotally mounted on the shaft 45' at the forward end of each unit, isan operating frame indicated by the reference character 45, theoperating frame including the plate 46 having a slot 46', the slot 46'being designed to accommodate the bar 38. The plate 46 extends betweenthe laterally extended pins 41, carried by the bar 38, with the resultthat movement of the bar 38, produces a relative movement of the frame45.

Connected with the frame 45, is a horizontal guard plate 48 which is ofa length to extend inwardly to a point adjacent to the magazine, to

be engaged by the bottle or package dispensed, retarding movement of thebottle or package.

A downwardly and forwardly curved finger 49, is formed integral with theguard plate 48, and is adapted to engage the rod 50, when the guardplate 48 has been moved forwardly, thereby preventing the operation ofthe magazine by fraud by forcing an instrument into the dischargeopening of the cabinet.

A coiled spring indicated by the reference 5|, connects with the frame45, and normally operates to return the frame and elements connectedtherewith, to their inactive positions, or

to positions adjacent to the forward wall of the cabinet.

In order that reverse movement of the rotary magazine, will beprevented, a pivoted arm indicated by the reference character 52 ismounted Within each unit, the arm being of a length to engage thepartitions forming the compartments of the magazine. Assuming that acoin has been deposited in the coin slot of one of the units of themachine, and the bar 38 has been moved inwardly against the coin, theoperation of the machine is as follows. The pivoted member 3| contactingwith one of the partitions of the rotary magazine, will rotate themagazine in a clockwise direction, and such rotary movement will besuificient to bring a bottle or package to a position as shown by Figure3 of the drawings, where the bottle or package contacts with one end ofthe guard plate. As the operating bar 38 is withdrawn, the guard plateis moved forwardly, releasing the bottle or package, allowing the bottleor package to gravitate towards the front end of the cabinet and passthrough the discharge opening of the cabinet, where it may be removed bythe purchaser.

It will of course be obvious that with each bottle or package which isdispensed, another bottle or package is fed to the rotary magazinethrough the chute 24, as described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a vending machine, a cabinet, a rotary magazine mounted within thecabinet, compartments on the magazine and adapted to contain articlesdispensed by the machine, a chute for delivering articles to thecompartments, a plate movable in a horizontal plane and operating underthe discharge end of the chute, said plate having an opening adapted toregister with the discharge end of the chute with. each movement of themagazine'todischarge an article, whereby articles are delivered to thecompartments, said plate normally providing a support for the contentsof the chute, and means for simultaneously operating the magazine andplate.

2. A vending machine comprising a cabinet, a rotary magazine operatingwithin the cabinet, a plurality of compartments on the periphery of themagazine and having their outer sides open to permit articles to passinto the compartments, a delivery chute above the rotary magazine andadapted to deliver articles to the compartments, a slide plate mountedunder the delivery chute and having an opening adapted to register withthe delivery chute whereby articles may pass through the opening to thecompartments one by one, means for operating the magazine to deliver anarticle fromthe cabinet, and said operating means including means foroperating the sliding plate to bring the opening thereof into registrywith the chute.

3. In a vending machine, a cabinet, a rotary magazine operating withinthe cabinet, compartments on the periphery of the magazine, an operatingmember supported Within the cabinet and adapted to rotate the magazine apredetermined distance, whereby an article is discharged from themagazine, a sliding guard plate mounted within the cabinet said guardplate being inclined downwardly towards the interior of the cabinet andadapted to move into the path of travel of an article discharged from acompartment, temporarily holding the article against movement from thecabinet, said plate adapted to move to release the article upon reversemovement of the operating member to its normal position, and saidcabinet having an opening through which the articles are discharged.

THOMAS J. ELDER.

